


When the Light Fades

by Ryx5



Series: We Love Our Stories [1]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Destiny 2, Eventual Sex, F/M, Flashbacks, Gen, Human Efrideet, Kissing, Long-Distance Relationship, Memories, Mild Smut, Romance, Slow Build, Storytelling, falling back in love, human Shaxx
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-02-17 10:43:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13075206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryx5/pseuds/Ryx5
Summary: It took a lot to remind everyone who they were when the Cabal attacked, especially Lord Shaxx. He was always known as the most menacing Titan, stoic and unbreakable. When the City fell,   old memories returned. He realizes that there is only one person who could revive him. A person who was thought to be dead for centuries.





	1. I Miss Those Days

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I did some considerstion and decided to turn We Love Our Stories into an actual fic. I will be taking a break from Flee Hunter to write this. Yes, the lore may be off, but that happens in fanfics.

_The sky was white, apart from the Fallen Skiffs that cut through the air from time to time to drop more Eliksni pirates. Villagers fled the scene and took cover as the madness continued around them._  
  
_A bullet whizzed past the Titan's head and landed in a Vandal's skull not five feet away from him. He turned quickly._  
  
_"Watch it!" he hollered._  
  
_Lady Efrideet sat in a tree, sniper in hand. "Relax," she called. "It didn't even hit you."_  
  
_Shaxx almost responded but instead dipped low to miss a Captain's swing and returned the hit, knocking it back into the snowy grounds. He lifted his rifle and shot it square in the head. He turned back to Efrideet._  
  
_"You were this close," he said, holding his fingers closer than a centimeter apart._  
  
_Another bullet skimmed his helmet. Efrideet shrugged._  
  
_"Stay focused!" Shaxx heard Saladin toss a grenade at a group of Dregs. His old mentor never ceased to push him._  
  
_A heavy Skiff neared the battlegrounds with a Walker attached to it. With a loud snap, it disconnected and plummeted thirty feet, crushing several houses in its wake._  
  
_"Finally, something interesting!" Efrideet jumped down from her tree and discarded her sniper._  
  
_"You could have said that 15 minutes ago if you didn't spend all of your time in a tree," Shaxx groaned. A Vandal armed with blades approached the Titan, meeting his fist a second later._  
  
_Saladin focused. Energy crackled around him as he summoned his Light. Efrideet scampered over to the elder Titan, conjuring up her own Light--and she lifted him up over her head._  
  
_Saladin was taken back "Efr--?"_  
  
_"Don't worry," she laughed. "I never miss." With that, she focused all of her Light and hurled the Titan up into the air, not even stumbling._  
  
_Saladin, looking like a ball of electricity more than a person, came soaring down. The two Guardians didn't have time to look up before everything turned blue. Efrideet and Shaxx were blown back from the impact, tumbling in the snow._  
  
_The Walker lay in pieces._  
  
_Efrideet jumped up and beheld Saladin laying flat on the ground in the center of a crater he had created. She burst out laughing._  
  
_Shaxx stood and surveyed the land. The Fallen were dead and the Walker...well, that was beyond taken care of. He looked down at the Hunter laying in the snow, holding her stomach, cackling uncontrollably and smiled to himself. Even her ghost was laughing._  
  
_-_  
  
_"It amazes me how you managed to do that," Shaxx laughed. He placed Efrideet's sniper on a hard wood table in a makeshift cabin._

_While his Redjacks helped the villagers rebuild houses and clean up the remains of the battle, the Titan and the Hunter retired to the warmth of a fire. The cabin was made of stone and wood only, resembling a hut more than a cabin._

_"Wasn't that hard," Efrideet mused._

_"Really?" Shaxx reached to a liquor cabinet and grabbed two mugs. He poured beer into both of them. "Saladin didn't seem to happy with it."_

_"When is he ever happy?" Efrideet scoffed. She deepened her voice mockingly. "He's just a grumpy, old Titan."_

_"Yeah, well, good for him." Shaxx lifted his helmet off and placed it next to the sniper._

_Efrideet reached for one of the mugs, but Shaxx intercepted and caught her wrist. He reached up to her helmet._

_"What are you doing?"_

_"This is what you get for spending your time in trees," he said, bringing back a fistful of twigs. Efrideet took off her helmet._

_"Whatever. Can I have my drink now?" The Hunter felt her wrist get released and she took the mug in her hand. Shaxx threw the twigs in the fire and grabbed his own drink._

_"Should we be helping?" Efrideet looked up at Shaxx._

_"They've got it," he said, shrugging. He lifted his mug. "Cheers."_

_Efrideet smirked and downed her beer in less than five seconds. Shaxx rolled his eyes. It wasn't like hunters weren't good at drinking. The Titan intended to savor his drink, though it wasn't the best._

_"You think Saladin will forgive me?" Efrideet asked._

_"I doubt he won't." Shaxx said, smiling. Something about her caught him off guard. He found his eyes going back to hers and a warm feeling creeping its way in each time he heard her speak. Efrideet set her empty mug down on the table and looked up at him. Then, she did what Shaxx had least expected:_

_She stood on her toes and kissed him._

_"Sorry," she said. "I just--"_

_Shaxx cut her off with another kiss. They parted, surprised by themselves. Shaxx blinked and went in again, holding her close by the back of her neck. He tasted the beer on her soft lips and something about it just felt right. He knew that Efrideet had the same feeling, because she held onto the fur on his shoulder pouldrons to bring him closer. He heard a little noise escape from her and his breaths sped up._

_"If you two don't mind," -the two parted abruptly- " we could use some help out here." Saladin stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, looking rather disappointed. He looked from Efrideet to Shaxx, then left._

_"Bastard," Shaxx grunted._

_"I, uh, guess we should have closed the door." Efrideet was blushing and it made Shaxx smile. He nodded and reached for her helmet instead of his, and handed it to the Hunter. She had the faintest smile on her face as she put the helmet on and turned to the door. Shaxx watched her and grabbed his helmet, still smiling like an idiot._

_Those were the good days. The days when Shaxx was always a hero. The days before he was stuck inside the City walls.The days before he heard that Efrideet was dead._  



	2. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes the leader may fall.

**_Evacuation procedure 77 is in progress. This is not a drill._ **

With his Raze Lighter mounted on his back, he surveyed the hall, looking above the Redjacks and civilians. Muffled sounds of battle roared outside the collapsed walls of what was once a hangar.

"What's going to happen to us?" The Titan looked down to see a boy, who he guessed wasn't older than fifteen. His amber eyes glowed against his purple skin, prominent in the dim light of the bunker-like hall. The Awoken stared up at the Titan towering above them.

The lord knelt down to him.

"I'll take care of you here," he said. "When the dust settles, we will find a way out." He looked down to the boy's leg. A gash marked his thigh which was shallow enough to avoid bleeding out. "Keep pressure on that." 

The boy nodded.

Shaxx stood at a sudden commotion down the hall. The orange emergency lights flashed against the walls, contrasting against the blue light of the hall. The Redjacks at the top of the stairs became alert and raised their rifles.

"Stand down," Shaxx called when he saw two civilians come around the corner. They came up the stairs and found a spot on the floor. 

They heard a rumble from outside the Tower. The hall jolted and people began to panic as some of the rubble from the collapsed walls came tumbling around them. People yelped and curled up, some even holding each other close. Shaxx reassured them and told them not to be afraid. To no use, of course.

A guttural roar sounded in the distance. Shaxx knew the Cabal had found them and drew the Raze Lighter from his back, careful to prevent the flames from touching his fur plates. Heavy footsteps came around the corner and the frightened people cried at the sight of Red Legion soldiers. 

The Redjacks lifted their weapons and dispersed, firing at the enemies. A Legionary roared again and grabbed the nearest Redjack frame, slamming in down on the ground. One of the Cabal soldiers aimed its gun at a group of civilians and Shaxx raced to intercept the attack. He arrived just in time as the projectile was fired and met his back. It didn't faze him. 

Shaxx, standing as tall as the Legionary, swung his blade, striking the Cabal down to the ground. More of his Redjacks fired and the wave of Cabal perished. 

Shaxx knew this was the worst time to be excited. Of course, he hadn't had a real fight in years, and watching guardians tear each other apart just for armor had weakened him. He hadn't thought that his first battle would be as the City was under attack. 

"Zavala, what's your status?" Only static. "Ikora? Cayde?" He tried to reconnect with the channel, but to no avail. 

Another shake to the Tower; the worst one yet. The entire room jolted violently, sending Frames and people across the floor. Shaxx braced himself on the nearest wall to keep from falling. When the rumbling and screams died down he listened close.

Silence. 

There were no more projectiles from the Cabal ships, no sounds from Legionaries. His communication channel crackled and no voices came through. He hoped for a bitter moment that it was over. 

But it wasn't. 

Outside of the hall an ear-piercing wail rang through the City. Shaxx felt a sensation in him followed by the worst feeling he'd experienced. It was as if he was ripped out of his body and in two places at once. For a brief moment he reckoned he saw himself before things faded and he returned to his body, only weak. 

All strength left him and he collapsed, his own armor feeling too heavy. He hit the ground hard and grunted, feeling vomit in his throat. Something else rose in him: fear. People were starting to notice and Arcite ran over to his aid. The only thing that came to his mind was weakness. He couldn't even lift his head without feeling dizzy and exhausted. An object clapped onto the ground next to him and he found it with his eyes. It was his Ghost.The little body lay lifeless on the floor, the eye dark and rarely flickering. Anger bubbled in Shaxx's core as he beheld his Ghost. Then he realized what had happened. He reached out to the Ghost and tried to sit up. The armor weighed ten times more than he had remembered and his head pounded. Arcite crouched down to him. 

"Lord Shaxx," he said. "What happened?"

The Titan's eyes glided through the hall and saw all of the faces turned to him. He was failing them. "The Light," he muttered to the Redjack. "Gone." Even when speaking he felt tired. 

The horned Frame put a robotic hand on the Titan's shoulder. "We will take care of these people. You need rest."

"No--"

"You are weakened. You must regain your energy."

Shaxx looked up at the Frame. He wanted to bite his own lip off in that moment. "Send a Redjack out in twenty minutes. If the Cabal are gone, wake me. If not, then wake me and open the armory." He shifted, unable to sit against the wall comfortably. As if comfort was even a priority. "Take care of them, Arcite." He saw his Redjack nod and stand for the survivors in the hall. He clutched his Ghost to his chest. 

Lord Shaxx succumbed to his weakness and closed his eyes, fearful that they wouldn't open again. 


	3. Whatever It Takes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO sorry for the delay, anyone who was waiting for another chapter in this series. Despite D2's current state, I'm still gonna try to continue this.

The Titan tore himself from his sleep. He jerked, causing his armor to scratch against the floor and raise a few heads. Vision still blurry, he looked up to see Arcite walking towards him. Just in time.   
  
"I sent a scout to the Tower Plaza. The Red Legion have flooded the city grounds." Arcite knelt down to the Titan who's anxiety was growing. "We won't be able to leave safely."  
  
Shaxx ignored his hot breath reflecting off of the inside of his face plate. "Open my armory."  
  
"I advise against that," Arcite said. "The civilians know nothing of combat against one another, let alone Cabal. We would risk their lives by attacking head on."  
  
Shaxx wanted to eradicate whoever was behind this even in his weakened state. This was exactly what he had trained countless guardians for. Their battles were otherworldly, and didn't affect the City. Even with training they weren't nearly ready to deal with this, a direct attack on the City and the people. And the Traveler. The Traveler was what powered them and was their key to success. What good was all that training if they didn't have their Light?  
  
Shaxx groaned. "How many?"  
  
"Enough to kill these survivors in seconds," Arcite answered, though given a vague question.  
  
Shaxx's mind raced and he thought of the safest way to get the people out of the hall. The evac shuttles had departed, the Plaza meant certain death. There was one option left that he could think of: the elevators. Chances were that they had been damaged by the projectiles from the Cabal ships, but it was the only way.   
  
He stood, clutching his Ghost in his hand. The people who were huddled in the hall came to his attention and turned their heads to him silently. "How many of you know how to shoot?"  
  
A several people raised their hands and stood. Men, women, and some teenagers arose from the floor, fear still in their eyes. The Redjacks had turned to him and Shaxx knew that he was the center of attention.  
  
"Good," he marked as he made his way up to the doors concealing the weapons vault.   
  
A woman spoke up. "We're...going to fight them?"  
  
"No," the Lord said, not looking to her as he rolled his shoulders and fought the dizziness clouding his head. "I know better than to put you at such risk." He turned to the group, back facing the doors. "I suspect that the damage is severe on the outside. The Cabal have us corned. Our only form of transportation is the elevators; they won't raise any heads as a ship would."  
  
"But won't the Cabal be near the elevators?" a man asked. Shaxx winced. He knew his plan was brittle, but he was the only Guardian they had now. Even if he lacked his Light.  
  
"It's likely," Shaxx noted, "but that's why I needed to know if you could defend yourselves. I need you to protect one another." A few people stepped forward as Shaxx took a breath and pried his fingers in between the doors and rooted his feet. He pulled with his arms and pushed with his legs, and the doors began to slide open. Shaxx found himself dazed. He had lost his Light not too long ago, and the effects were already kicking in. Nevertheless, he held them open as people entered. "Take what you know how to use," he said, voice straining.   
  
He let go of the doors as they exited with weapons in hand. A wall supported him as he caught his breath. He was already tired from holding doors open.  _Doors._  How was he going to possibly lead a group out of the Tower?  
  
-  
  
The elevators were in better shape than he expected. People were loaded onto the units in two groups, each one barricaded by Redjacks. Shaxx waited to get on the last one, not wanting to leave anyone at the top unsupervised by him. He only hoped that his Redjacks were enough to protect the first group, which had presumably reached the ground by now.  
  
The Titan loaded the last elevator with the remaining group of people, positioning himself at the doors. The controls were surprisingly intact, with only a few dials missing. The whirr of the car was oddly soothing, regarding the situation at hand as they were transported down. Shaxx stood above the passengers, rifle securely in hand as blue lights flicked onto them. They would reach the ground any time, now.   
  
He felt a tug on his mark next to him and looked down to his side. A girl was starting up at him as she wiped her eyes, her tear streaks glistening against her cheek. She only came up to his waist. Shaxx did the inevitable and lowered his free hand to her, the girl reaching up with a sniff. They didn't speak as the elevator carried them down, but the longer she stared up at his face plate, the closer she was to smiling. When she did, the Lord felt a smile tug on the corner of his mouth. She was adorable, and Shaxx had never liked children.   
  
The elevator slowed and Shaxx stiffened, releasing the smaller hand. When the car came to a stop, he stepped back and raised the rifle in his hands. The doors opened, and Arcite and the rest were on the other side.   
  
Shaxx turned to Arcite, lowering his rifle. "Staus?"   
  
"Cabal soldiers are airborne, very few are on ground level. They occupy the Tower."   
  
Shaxx scanned his band of survivors, and looked up to the Tower. He winced, knowing that his group was only a portion of civilians that were present before the attack. But he had gotten as many as he could out of the hell that the Cabal were creating above.   
  
His mind grazed the option that he had ostracized: abandoning the City. He knew that they didn't stand a chance inside the walls, and the chance of survival outside the walls was just as small. It was either escape, or die.   
  
Another round of projectiles was fired from the Cabal command ship. The group below the Tower retreated from the elevator port, covering their heads reflexively. They moved away from the base of the Tower and fell behind Shaxx, their sole barrier between life and death. The Titan growled as the Cabal ships hovered adamantly in the sky, showing no intention of leaving. That lead Shaxx to the bitter realization that they would not win this battle now, that they could not both stay within the City.   
  
"We need to leave here," Shaxx ordered. His Redjacks surrounded the group of civilians, who did not protest at his words. He hadn't the slightest idea where they would go, or how they might survive, but as of then it was the best solution they had.   
  
Shaxx checked behind him, counting the members in all, those with weapons and those without. The child from the elevator had joined with an adult, her parent perhaps. The Awoken boy was standing, a bandage tied around his wounded leg. They were the only youth present. Shaxx decided that their lives would be his main priority, whatever the costs.   
  
There was no time to lose. Shaxx turned back around, his hand squeezing the grip of his rifle so tight that the metal might crack. His Ghost rested on his belt, deprived of Light and life. Shaxx straightened, knowing that all eyes were on him, that he was going to be their beacon for however long it would take to end the new war that had blossomed within their own home. He fought with anger that dominated his mind and body.   
  
"Let's move." Shaxx mapped out their trek to the wall. All he could do was hope that survival was an option as he lead his group closer to the outskirts of the City.   
  
Constant noise unfolded around them as the Cabal wrecked havoc upon the remains of their home. Shaxx began to talk occasionally, telling age-old stories that he conjured from his memories that he kept hidden from the world. He remained calm, hoping that they would adopt his attitude.   
  
They neared the wall, safely covered in trees and vegetation. Shaxx forced down a door that was rusted over with time and the survivors made their way through the interior, their footsteps and staggered breaths the only source of life. The place smelled of decay and unused air, specks of dust made visible by lights shining from the Redjacks. Centuries ago during the construction of the City, Shaxx never thought the walls would contain life, much less grant passage to it. The wall was supposed to protect humanity, to ensure hope for the future. And here they were, using it to escape from their home.   
  
Dim light shone through an opening in the wall, revealing the desolate outskirts of the City that no one had payed attention to. They stepped through, embracing the ashen air. Shaxx turned and counted again. All he could do now was hope and fight for survival.   
  
The sky glowed orange as they abandoned the once last safe city on Earth.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Exodus

_**City Outskirts, four days after the attack**  _  
  
It was cold. Desolate. There were no signs of trails, not even from Fallen. As they worked their way into the mountains the conditions became harsher, snow collecting in their boots and clothes and the cold seeping it's way into their hearts. The scarcity of food, the dangers that lurked every mile, and the lack of ammunition made sure to remind each and every one of them that they would never be safe. Not now.  
  
They were exiled. With the City destroyed, survivors fled. They evacuated the planet as the last settlement of humanity was taken from them _._ As for the group of fugitives that Shaxx lead, their hope was running low by the third day of treading through snow, rain, and everything in between. Arcite had detected multiple rendezvous coordinates that survivors were rallying to, some of which were throughout the solar system. They decided to track the set closest to them, a base somewhere far from the City. The survivors were all but freezing, the height of the mountains exposing them to harsher winds.   
  
The once defiant Lord Shaxx had hatred and fury brewing beneath his surface for the Cabal. How dare they intrude on their atmosphere and murder innocents. Take possession of the Traveler, stripping guardians of their Light in an instant. He put their loss on himself. If only he had trained them harder, prepared them for threats like this. But then again, none of them knew how to protect the Traveler, as they were always protected by it.  
  
The horrors they encountered were engraving, an extension of what they had faced in the City. Shaxx mercilessly killed any Cabal that stood in their way. If they had so carelessly murdered the people of his City, then he would do the same to them. He swore it on the lives lost and lives he was destined to protect.  
  
  
**_Twilight Gap, one week after the attack  
_**   
The survivors were beginning to fade. Their energy was low constantly, the lack of sleep and food impacting their bodies. But they had to keep moving. Shaxx knew it. They all did.   
  
But one of them had already perished. A woman named Nysha who worked as a machanic in Suros. She died on the fifth day when they encountered a band of Cabal and their animals. She had fired her rifle too late. The claws of the beast had ripped at her body until her shouts ceased and a bullet landed in its skull. Shaxx was disgusted not with her blood that coated the snow, but with himself. He checked Nysha's rifle for bullets after they found a place for her to rest, as if it was more important than her life. Six rounds remained in the magazine.  
  
Shaxx knew he was failing them.  
  
  
**_Twilight Gap, three weeks after the attack_**  
  
No hope. It was all that ran through Lord Shaxx's head. He searched for the Light within himself, finding nothing but darkness and exhaustion. Two Redjacks had been lost, but only one survivor's life had been taken since their escape. The nights had been the hardest, the snow unforgiving and battering. With little resources and no food, his survivors desperately clung to life by threads.   
  
On the day approaching the third week, they had passed a camp in a trench between the mountains. Shaxx rushed to the guardians laying at the bases of rocks and crates, checking for life and Light among them. He only found empty shells surrounded by armor. A radio transmission repeated itself in the middle of it all, calling for help. Help that was to late. One by one, the Cabal were dealing guardians their final deaths.   
  
They made their way through a pass in the mountains. It was then that Shaxx realized how truly far away they were from home. On the pass they saw their once safe city. The Traveler sat still above the ruins, bound with orange. Cabal ships still hovered around their home, cornering the Traveler that was under their control. Shaxx found a burning rage within him at the sight of the god that granted them power and life for centuries, now imprisoned by technology of another world. It was humiliating to see the power of the Light diminished by the cage around it, the being which they lived for taken so easily.  
  
Shaxx couldn't accept defeat; he wouldn't. Not even as he was knocked to the ground by a Legionary that stood above him. He rolled in the snow, escaping another shot and landing a bullet in it's back. As he stood, he saw. There was light shining through clouds, blinding against the snow. Ships soared above, the sounds of breaking air chilling. They weren't Cabal aircrafts, they were from humanity. They were still looking for survivors.   
  
A glimmer of hope found its way into Shaxx's heart. Perhaps it was all too figurative, turning the corner and finding light raining down on them. The coordinates that Arcite had picked up were so near, now. They were only a few miles due south of their destination.  
  
Shaxx persisted, willing the others to do the same. Persistence was the key to their survival, it had been for weeks. The lone Guardian was tired, battered on the inside and out. Guidance was low. All they had to do was continue walking through the outskirts and reach wherever the coordinates were marked.  
  
A call rang in the sky. Though it wasn't a being of Light, it was no less of a guardian to the survivors. Their heads raised, including Shaxx's, to the crying falcon soaring above them. 


	5. Rusted Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Efrideet's return to the Last City re-lights the fire in her heart that once burned bright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for neglecting this for so long! Gonna try to keep updating to anyone who is tuned in to this story.

**_The Last City, the night of the invasion_ **

It had taken her so long to get to Earth. So long to get somewhere so far from her home, yet so close to her heart. Her ship hadn't been used in years, the old heap of junk barely cutting through the atmosphere.

She had been in touch with the City comms before she heard word of the attack. Before Saladin had called her back, she often tapped into the network to listen for updates. Once she had started assisting with the Iron Banner she stayed on the channel, missing the buzz of the City's life. But when the channel went dark she knew it was her calling to come home, to pick up her rifle once more to fight an army for the first time in years.

The air blew through her armor, warmer than she remembered. With her sniper on her back, she hiked up into a small tower that blended with the rest of the buildings, a white rabbit painted on its outer wall. She stood in the stone window, regaining the title that was in her very bones and remembered her purpose as an Iron Lord. 

Lady Efrideet stood over the Last City as it burned. Her Spear felt foreign in her grip, for she had not used it in almost decades. The metal was worn, the bronze color faded with time and damage. It almost seemed to creak beneath her gloves as she hoisted it onto her shoulder and took aim to the streets. 

Really, it had only been a few months since was on Earth, as Saladin had called her to assist with the Iron Banner. But the City... it had been centuries. As her eyes beheld the streets, memories flooded in. It had been so long since she was here, in the heart of humanity. Many great memories were made here, ones of happiness and love and she failed to forget any of them. Memories of her friends and her brothers and sisters, her teachers. 

"This is a suicide mission, Efrideet." Her ghost appeared at her shoulder, a worried look in its eye.

"You say that like I'm a thanatonaut," the Hunter said, lining the cross-hair up with her targets. He had always posessed this attitude, cautious for her every move. "Now don't distract me."

Her breath calmed as she squeezed the trigger, her first shot of many darting through the smoky air. As the recoil processed through her shoulder and the two Cabal dropped to the ground, it all began to hit her. This battle, this war, wouldn't end anytime soon. She aimed once more, Guardians turning up in her scope. An eruption of Void Light spilled across the streets, incinerating Cabal in purple flecks. Her eyes turned towards the Tower, missiles from a command ship assaulting its exterior. She looked up at the sky, the Traveler floating in the air. She hadn't been this close to the orb since before she left Earth. 

Efrideet felt a surge of Light ring through her at the sight of it all. There were Guardians all throughout the City fighting for their home, together. She aimed down her sights, Arc energy singing through her veins and through her sniper. Recoil, and she head silenced another two.

"Even if it was a suicide mission, Sidero," she said coyly, "I have you here with me, so I don't have anything to worry about." Recoil shot through her shoulder again. She was stacking up shots, dropping one Cabal after another, spilling black oil onto the streets. A fire burned stronger within her each time she pulled the trigger, remembering the days of fighting alongside other Guardians as an Iron Lord. It was what she was and always would be until her final breath, whenever it may be.

"Heads up!". Efrideet's eyes flicked up at her Ghost's call. She hadn't a moment before she spotted a projectile heading towards her tower, her eyes widening in panic. Her mind was quick and she knew she had to stay up high in the building to avoid the rubble from crashing down onto her. She lowered her sniper and backed away from the wall, the cement erupting a second later and blowing her back. Her arms shielded her face, the slabs crumbling away from her. Her cover had been completely destroyed. Everything in her mind was a blur as she struggled to stay alert, quickly adjusting to the new conditions. Just as she was scrambling to retrieve her weapon, she saw another flash or orange fire. 

As the rubble fell onto her, a piercing sensation shot through her check. It seemed like it took minutes for her to tear her helmet from her head, the pain as hot it's color. She cried out at the burning that didn't stop, her hands clawing at the air around the left side of her face and panic rising as she couldn't see.

Sidero materialized beside her and the burning started to decrease. Her vision was blotchy as she reached for her sniper and held it close, knowing that she had to stay low. 

She winced as she attempted to touch the burn, the skin stinging as her fingers lightly brushed her cheek. This wasn't exactly going as planned, she thought. All of those years of living away from the battle had made her soft, unsuspecting of the risks that were still present. She remembered the days where she was almost unbreakable, the days where she was able to wield a firearm like no other, the days where she was even able to throw Saladin over her head. Those days had passed, and her strength had dulled with the lack of sharpening. 

But now was not the time for self-pity. She had brought herself to this battle, to these risks. Her eyes looked down and found her helmet laying on the rubble. The white metal was scorched and still warm to the touch. Though the pain of her burn was scarring, she lifted it and fitted the helm back over her head.

"Still up to this?"

Efrideet hoisted her sniper back into her arms. "Sorry, did I make it seem like I wanted to quit? This isn't over until the Red Legion burns to the ground." Peering back over the ledge of the tower, she aimed once more, and took down three Legionaries with one shot. The bullets cracked through the air with short, silenced  _ptff_ 's, oil and blood pouring down. Again and again, she pulled the trigger until she had emptied the magazine twice. 

Then it all shifted. Her frenzy of bullets ceased and she almost dropped the rifle over the ledge as she heard a shrill cry ring through the air. She looked up and saw an orange barrier surround the Traveler--then everything within her dropped. A blue trace of herself appeared in front of her eyes, dissolving into the air. A gasp escaped her throat in horror as all of her strength, all of her Light, was ripped from her body.

"Efrideet..." Sidero's voice shook as he appeared in front of her, his eye blinking before his shell dropped to the ground. Efrideet formed his name in her mouth, but her legs buckled from underneath her and she fell to her knees. Everything around her felt silent. She no longer felt the Light of hundreds of Guardians around her. She didn't feel the Darkness. She felt nothing. Weakness overcame her and she lied down in the crumbled cement. 

A blast sounded from the command ship in the sky, one last assault heading to the Tower. She heard the missiles hit the monument of humanity, demolishing it. Dozens of Cabal cried out in triumph below, Lightless Guardians at their mercy. Efrideet tried to sit up and move away from the wall as she heard another projectile nearing her, but her arms wouldn't move her fast enough. The wall that protected her erupted inward, debris landing on her leg. 

It was then that she felt the real weight of the pain. She, along with countless Guardians across Sol, had been mortalized, the Light taken from all of them. Fear rang though her in place of Arc energy, but it was just as piercing and striking. Efrideet whimpered at the pain hammering in her leg as she turned to find Sidero. Her hands swept away bits of stone and concrete until she found his little body, the shell cracked and falling away from his eye that did not blink. She took his pieces and held them close to her heart. He did not speak.

Efrideet's eyes threatened to drop and she laid back down, unable to move the stone from her leg. She began to think of her family in the Kyper Belt. They lost their Light, too. The most powerful being to humanity, the Traveler, was silent. The world slowed as it burned. 

The Hunter looked up at the orange sky, feeling the hot air blow over her body. She couldn't erase the feeling that she had failed. The years away from the fight made her forget what it was like to die and live again. Guardians had no fear of death with the gift of Light, but as she laid there with a burn and a broken leg, helpless, the fear of her final breath crept its way in.

The energy inside her started to wither away, she began to succumb to the absence of Light. 

And her eyes closed to the sound of screams. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really kicking myself for not updating this for months, it's almost been a year since I even started it. I want to continue this series despite *some* lore that was recently brought into relativity, so stay tuned.
> 
> Also a few details included point to some of the lore cards, so I'm gonna try to keep that up as well


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